


We're Growing Up, But Not Alone

by cookinguptales



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Pokemon AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-19
Updated: 2015-07-19
Packaged: 2018-04-10 01:28:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4371881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cookinguptales/pseuds/cookinguptales
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steven's Eevee is his best friend in the world, so when it comes time for her to evolve, he knows he has to pick the perfect evolution. Now if only he could figure out what that is.</p>
            </blockquote>





	We're Growing Up, But Not Alone

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this for one of my best friends because she was having a pretty terrible day and SU and Pokemon are two of her favorite things. Please enjoy this fusion. (ba dump tssh)

"You should use a Thunder Stone," Connie finally said, marking her choice with a decisive nod.

Steven's grip on Muffy tightened reflexively, and he scuffed one of his sandals against the sandy floor of their secret base. "Jolteon? I don't know... Those look awfully spiky..."

"That's true," she admitted, "But Jolteon has solid stats. Its speed is out of this world, and it's resistant to tons of types. If you get lucky and Muffy gets Volt Absorb, she'll even absorb Electric-type attacks!"

Steven looked down at Muffy, and the two of them shared a brief moment of alarm. "But then she won't be so huggable! What if she shocks me?" he asked.

In his arms, Muffy trilled miserably.

"I guess you have a point." Connie tapped her chin, looking thoughtful. "Why don't you ask the Crystal Gems? They're rocks, right?"

"Sort of?"

"Then they'll definitely know a lot about evolution stones!"

"I don't know if it works that way," Steven said, but he couldn't deny that it was a good idea. Connie's ideas usually were.

* * *

When Steven finally found the gems later that evening, they were huddled together over the little coffee table in their living room, deep in conversation.

"I just don't know how they keep getting into the caverns," Pearl said.

Amethyst shrugged. "Zubats get into every cave. Nobody can get rid of those things."

"I can," Garnet said, and Amethyst and Pearl exchanged glances. Her tone brooked no argument, but that didn't mean that her attempts had been any more successful than theirs. Ever since they'd arrived on Earth centuries before, there had been only two constants: death and Zubats.

Steven had been raised not to interrupt Important Crystal Gem Conversations, but he was pretty sure that the Zubat conversation had been going on for longer than he was alive. So it was probably okay just this once. He took a deep breath. Then, "GUYS! I need your help! Muffy is almost level 30 and I think she still looks really young but _Lars_ said that 30 is too high of a level to be wasted on an Eevee and Sadie said that a Leafeon or something would be really cool and _Jamie_ said that Muffy needs to be more theatrical but I looked it up and there are so many choices for Eevee evolutions and I don't know what to pick!"

Pearl blinked. "Uh..."

"Steven has decided it's time for his Eevee to evolve," Garnet translated, "But he cannot decide on an evolution."

"Oh!" Pearl said, eyes lighting up. "In that case, what about an Espeon? They're so graceful, and I've heard that they're very loyal. I'd feel so much better about you and Connie traveling around all by yourselves if you had a strong Pokemon like that protecting you." She sighed and put one hand to her chest. "Human children just leave home so quickly."

"Yeah, because they've gotta go out and see the world!" Amethyst cut in. She grinned, and suddenly her left hand had been replaced by an enormous purple mallet, which she brought down on the table. "They've gotta leave their mark!"

"Amethyst!" Pearl chided, pulling her feet back to avoid splinters.

Amethyst ignored her, instead sidling up besides Steven. "Hey Steven, what about an Umbreon? Those are real cool."

"Really?" he asked.

"Oh yeah. They come out at night, which is when all the interesting stuff happens. They hide in the shadows, stalking their prey until--SNAP!" she shouted, and snapped magically elongated jaws, making Steven jump and squeak.

"But I'm afraid of the dark," he said plaintively.

"Still?" Amethyst asked, then oofed when Pearl elbowed her.

"I think Steven is very brave," Garnet said, pulling him up onto her lap. "And very cute."

Steven ducked his head to hide his grin. "Aww, haha. What do you think Muffy should evolve into, Garnet?"

Garnet tilted her head to the side for a moment, thoughtful, before shaking her head. "I abstain."

"You what?"

Garnet spread her hands out to either side, giving Steven a good view of both of her gems. "Fire and ice are two sides of the same coin, Steven. I could no more choose between Flareon and Glaceon than I could between my right hand and my left." She paused. "You should get another Eevee."

"Heyy," Amethyst cut in. "You should get six more Eevees! Then you can have them all!"

"No!" Steven said, going to stand in front of Muffy protectively. "I don't want any other Eevees! Muffy is special!"

Muffy purred in agreement and butted at the back of Steven's legs.

Steven turned and scooped her up so he could run his fingers through the poof of her tail, just like she liked. "You guys aren't any help at all," he said. He could hear the telltale signs of a whine in his voice, and he didn't like that at all. Muffy was growing up, and so was he. He couldn't whine like a kid anymore. But all they'd done was confuse him more!

With a defeated sigh, Steven walked out of the house, leaving the gems to their Zubat extermination plot. It didn't really feel like home there anymore, anyway.

* * *

"I just don't know what to do," Steven said, flopping backward. He landed on something soft and utterly unidentifiable, but that was okay. He'd stopped trying to figure out the contents of his father's van a long time ago.

"I don't know what to tell you, kiddo," his dad said, scritching Muffy behind the ears even as she contentedly dug her claws into his knees. "I've never had an Eevee before, myself, and my Chatot never decided to evolve."

"I don't think Chatots can evolve," Steven said, giving the bird a suspicious look. She ignored him and kept eating her birdseed. She was such a little prima donna. His dad said that she'd always believed she'd been the real star of their old rock band, and he'd never had the heart to tell her otherwise.

"Hmm," his dad said, looking over Chatot with a critical eye. "That would explain a lot."

"Well, it would be better to have a Pokemon that doesn't evolve at all than to have this many choices," Steven said sulkily, and he flipped over onto his stomach so he could stare at the floor.

His father scooted up a little closer to him. "You know, it's not the end of the world if you don't choose the 'right' evolution. No matter what you choose, Muffy will still be Muffy, right? You two have been through a lot together," he said, and Muffy chirped her agreement.

"That's why it's so important that I get this right!" Steven replied. "Muffy's always been there for me! I was so scared when I first left home, but then I found Muffy and she made everything so much easier. She hangs out with me when I'm sad, and she protects me whenever I'm scared. She even stared down a bunch of Beedrill once! She's so brave and smart and strong, and I just have to pick the perfect evolution for her!"

He felt a familiar nudging at his arm, and he automatically lifted his arm so Muffy could snuggle under it. She always knew when he needed a hug.

Next to him, his father was quiet. Then Steven felt him shift, and suddenly there was a comforting hand on his back. "Have you ever considered asking her what she wants? If she's so smart, maybe she's got a few ideas."

Steven lifted his head up and he stared at the dingy wall. "How did I never think of that?! That's perfect! Dad, you're amazing!"

"Yeah, yeah," his dad said. Then he continued in a mutter so low that Steven almost didn't hear it, "You say that now, but just wait until you hit puberty."

* * *

A few days later, Steven was ready. He took Muffy to the nearby field where they'd first met, where he'd cried for the first time since he'd left home. He'd bottled it up inside for almost a week, too embarrassed to let Connie see how homesick he was. She was in her element out there in the wilderness, hacking through underbrush and catching strong Pokemon like she'd been born to it. But Steven hadn't been able to catch anything. He was too gentle, Connie'd announced with a sigh. He didn't have the heart to weaken Pokemon before he threw Pokeballs at them, so they always just bounced off ineffectually.

He'd been there, sitting on the lone rock in a sea of wildflowers, when he heard the tiniest chirp next to him, bright and inquisitive. And he'd looked down to see a little ball of fluff, warm and soft where it leaned against his leg, and he'd instantly fallen in love. Muffy had willingly gone into his Pokeball, sitting there patiently as he fumbled to get one out of his hamburger backpack. And she'd stayed with him ever since, as dependable as anything.

Steven had heard a lot about what his life would be like when he finally left home to begin his Pokemon journey, but no one ever told him just how much he'd come to love his new friends.

He remembered that now as he set things up. He'd drawn up little pictures of all the different Eevee evolutions he'd ever heard of, and Muffy knew him well enough that she could actually decipher which one was which. He set them up now, propping them up in the grass and praying that they wouldn't flop over. Then, when things had approximated organized, he took a step back. "Okay, Muffy," he said. "Which one do you want to be?"

Muffy investigated each little figure one by one, lingering now and then as she went. Each time, Steven caught his breath. Would she choose to be bright and powerful, like Flareon? Or would she choose to be a sleek child of the night, like Umbreon? Privately, he hoped she didn't pick Vaporeon. It'd be hard to camp out by water all the time.

Finally, Muffy seemed to make a decision. She set her shoulders, resolute, then... Then she walked away, coming to sit in front of Steven with a cheerful grin and a familiar chirrup.

He cocked his head to the side. "Don't you want to evolve, Muffy? You didn't pick anything..."

She bowed her head for a moment, deep in concentration, and then she began to glow.

Steven took a hesitant step back. "Muffy?"

The glow grew stronger, until he couldn't even make out the soft lines of her ears. It grew, and then grew again, and he realized with a start that this must be it. It must be evolution.

He watched until spots swam in front of his eyes and he finally had to cover his eyes with one of his arms. When he was able to lower it again, he gaped. "Muffy, is that you?"

Muffy had changed, for sure, but not into anything he'd expected. The ears he'd gently stroked so many times were now tipped with pink, and the eyes he looked into every evening when he said good night had gone a lovely sky blue. Fur hung off of her in ribbons, and he just knew that he and Connie were going to have the best time styling it.

"Muffy, you're beautiful," he said, and his voice was hushed.

But Muffy was used to his awe, and to his love, so she took this in stride as she did everything. She leaned up against his leg just like she'd done so long ago, but now she could almost reach his waist. Steven had grown, fed on love and kindness and new experiences, and she had too.

* * *

Later, much later, Connie would find a picture of her online. "Sylveon," she'd murmur, thoughtful. "The rarest of all the Eevee evolutions. It only evolves when it has reached peak happiness and is overcome with affection for its owner."

"Aww," Steven said, and he hugged Muffy tight, giggling when she rubbed her cheek against his. "I love you too!"

"Only you, Steven," Connie said, leaning back in her computer chair. "Only you."


End file.
